The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-22

depended upon local rates for revenues during
that time The witness said his road trans
ported large quantities of fresh fruits from the
Pacific coast to the East. No relief was asked
in respect to this traffic, since the rates in this
regard had not been advanced The complaints
had come from the canned-fruit men. and not
the growers.
Mr.. Taft presented communication from
Sutton q Co. q Dispatch line. setting fortn that
the action of the transcontinental roads toward
the shipping interest via Cape Horn has been of
the most violent nature. They mad exerted
every effort to annihilate the shipping interests
of the country. They had taken the long haul
traffic at loss. which they must make up from
charges on the short-haul traffic. The writers
protested against the suspension of the long
and -short-haul section unless a fair competing
tariff shall be made that will enable shippers of
coarse goods to forward them by sail.
Mr.. Tweed gave notice that Judge Dillon,
representing the Union Pacific, would be here
tomorrow.
George Gray. attorney for the Northern Pacific
road addressed the commission He said that
in an examination of the fourth section he had
reached the conclusion that the railroads could
not take it upon themselves to determine what
constituted similar circumstances and condi-
tions" The traffic officers and managers of the
road had prepared schedules to be submitted in
an honest effort to comply with the law. He
filed petition substantially similar in purport
to those presented by the Southern Pacific.
Mr.. Gray suspended his remarks to give j. E.
Seares, jr., of New York, representing the
sugar reineres of the East, including the St.
Louis refinery, opportunity to enter protest
against the granting of the San Francisco re-
fners' petition. He told the history of the rise
of the Hawaiian sugar trade to the point where
the importatons from the islands exceeded the
entire consumption of the Pacific coast. Then.
to make market for this surplus, the importers
entered into combin ration with the railroads.
by means of which they were enabled to lay
down this foreign commodity, admitted duty
Free at prices with which Eastern refners, who
were held to full of freight, could not
pete. One result had been the closing mp of
the st. Louis refinery, which had cost one and
half million dollars The railroads had given
rates which were less than half the charges TO
intermediate points.
Mr. Gray, resuming, cited various rates given
by the Canadian Pacific in comparison with the
rates of the American lines between the same
points. The Canadian line, he said made the
rates just far enough below those of their COM
pe:tors to catch the traffic.
Mr.. Taft, representing the Clipper line, of
Sutton 81 Co., addressed the commission. He
could not conceive that it was the purpose of the
lawmakers to throw upon the commission any
such enormous task as that brought here by the
railroads 1t seemed to be the purpose of the
railroads to force the commission to acquan.
itself at once with all the details Of these ques-
try He maintained that the carrying of goods
at a loss for the purpose of driving out the
clippers was not fair competition, and was not n
thing which it desirable to encourage.
There were classes of goods which the ships
could carry cheaper than the roads could posi-
bly, do To fight for this traffic would not be
competition at all; it would simply cause the ex-
termination of the water carriers To grant the
prayers of the roads would bs to destroy
the purpose Of the law. If it we're
settled that the roads could not
carry except at profit, that would
leave the ocean carriers with nothing to com
plain of. He argued that the matters embodied
in the petitions of the transcontinental roads
He held that the special cases. referred to IN
the law, In which relief might be granted by the
commission, were cases where special classes OF
goods between particular points required de-
parture from general principles, in which cases
the commission, after investigation. might gran,
relief. The railway companies were now en-
gagged in trying to have the law suspended. II
they knew that the law would not be suspended
they would be engaged in carrying out it's provis
ions in a way to make them successful. He asked
that the law be not suspended in the general
way asked for but that the roads be made to fiz
fair rates, and he would like the privilege of ex
aiming witnesses to show what would be fail
rates. In reply to Commissioner Schoonmaker
he said the railroad men would be able to ar
range their rates so as TO meet the Canadian
line They might be compelled to reduce alonl
the line, but class of men know better how t
manage these things, and they would manag,
them.
The further hearing upon the Pacific lines pc
titions was then postponed until tomorrow